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Federal Courts Reject Leniency Pleas from Politically-Connected Defendants
by David M. Reutter
Despite a prosecutor’s request for a probationary sentence, a Massachusetts federal judge sentenced Patrice Tierney, 60, the wife of U.S. Representative John F. Tierney, to 30 days in prison followed by five months on house arrest as part of two years’ supervised release. She also must …
Despite a prosecutor’s request for a probationary sentence, a Massachusetts federal judge sentenced Patrice Tierney, 60, the wife of U.S. Representative John F. Tierney, to 30 days in prison followed by five months on house arrest as part of two years’ supervised release. She also must …
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More from this issue:
- States Scramble to Find Lethal Injection Drugs, by David Reutter
- Three Fulton County, Georgia Jail Guards Sentenced in Prisoner Abuse Investigation
- Blind Virginia Prisoner Settles Suit to Accommodate Disability
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Wexford Enters Into Confidential Settlement in New Mexico Prisoner’s Death, by David Reutter
- Fire at Overcrowded Chilean Prison Kills Over 80 Prisoners, by Matthew Clarke
- Savings from North Carolina Prisoner Slave Labor Result in Additional Prison Beds, by David Reutter
- Uncollected Court Debts Piling Up in Tennessee
- New York Jury Awards Wrongfully Convicted Man $18.5 Million, but Court Grants Motion to Set Aside Verdict
- Ninth Circuit Upholds Washington’s “Two Strikes Law” for Repeat Sex Offenders
- Washington Prisoner Discovers Good Time Error; County Officials Admit and Correct Mistake, by David Reutter
- PHS and NY Jail Employees Have Conflict of Interest with Legal Representation
- Louisiana Sheriff Cages Suicidal Prisoners in Space Smaller than Required for Dogs
- $149,500 Settlement for Hawaiian Prisoner Denied Medical Care After Transport Accident
- Washington: Pierce County Jail Suit Ends After 15 Years
- Federal Courts Reject Leniency Pleas from Politically-Connected Defendants, by David Reutter
- Hopes Dashed for Criminal Defendants Facing Deportation in Virginia, by Derek Gilna
- Releasees from Rural Michigan Jail Frighten Neighbors on Long Walk Home
- Family of California Immigration Prisoner Who Died Due to Untreated Cancer Gets $3.68 Million, by Brandon Sample
- Uproar Over Background Checks for BP Oil Spill Workers Following Rape Allegation Against Sex Offender, by David Reutter
- Dozens of Israeli Prison Guards Die in Fire
- Fifth Circuit Holds Mississippi Felons May Not Vote in Presidential Elections
- Six Florida Jail Staff Arrested in Contraband Smuggling Probe, by David Reutter
- The Incarceration Capital of the U.S., by Jordan Flaherty
- U.S. Admits Infecting Prisoners, Mentally Ill Patients in Guatemala in 1940s, by Derek Gilna
- Los Angeles County Approves $444,000 in Settlements for Sexual Assaults by County Employees
- Controversy Involving North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab, by Matthew Clarke
- Ninth Circuit Rejects Challenge to BOP’s Implementation of Second Chance Act
- Federal Cell Phone Ban Becomes Law; California Bill Vetoed, then Re-Introduced, by Brandon Sample
- Sanctions Against Prisoner for Alleged “Frivolous” Habeas Petition Improper, Tenth Circuit Decides
- Texas Prison System Must Accommodate Hearing-Impaired Visitors, by Matthew Clarke
- Ohio: Mixed Verdicts Against Guards Involved in Prisoner’s Death, by Brandon Sample
- Wisconsin County Jail Administrator Charged with Stealing Jail Funds
- Tenth Circuit Reverses Lawsuit on Hygiene Versus Court Access for Second Time, by Bob Williams
- Remembering the High Point of Prisoner Rights, by David Hudson
- Department of Justice Reports on Sexual Victimization in U.S. Prisons and Jails, by Matthew Clarke
- Ex-BOP Pharmacist Sentenced for Stealing Drugs
- No Time Limit for Defendants to Raise a PLRA Defense, by David Reutter
- U.S. Deportations Set Record in 2010, by Derek Gilna
- Anarchists Claim Attack on NC Department of Correction
- ACLU Investigates Prisoners’ Deaths at Puerto Rican Prison, by Derek Gilna
- First Circuit Reverses Finding that Sexual Interest in Adolescents Not Disorder Warranting Civil Commitment, by Brandon Sample
- Eighth Circuit Affirms Denial of Qualified Immunity for Guards Accused of Deliberate Indifference; $5.2 Million Verdict, $450,000 Settlement on Remand, by Brandon Sample
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- News In Brief:
More from David Reutter:
- Sixth Circuit Announces State-Law Exceptions to Appeal Deadlines Preserve “Pending” Status Under AEDPA, Holding Belated-Appeal Procedures Toll Federal Habeas Limitations Period, April 1, 2026
- Florida Supreme Court Announces Rule 3.170(f)’s Good-Cause Plea-Withdrawal Standard Does Not Apply at Post-Appeal Resentencing, April 1, 2026
- Colorado Supreme Court Announces Defendant Must Be Competent Before Undergoing Mental-Condition Examination Under § 16-8-107(3)(b), April 1, 2026
- California Court of Appeal Announces Plea Agreements Cannot Bar § 1172.1 Resentencing, Holds Merit-Based Denial of Petition Is Appealable, April 1, 2026
- Georgia Supreme Court Clarifies That Failure to Object to Ineligible Juror Does Not Constitute Waiver Unless Party Knew or Could Have Discovered Ineligibility Through Ordinary Diligence, April 1, 2026
- Washington State Guard’s Conviction Affirmed in Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound Scheme, March 1, 2026
- Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Holds Motion Judge Abused Discretion by Denying Evidentiary Hearing on IAC Claim Where Plea Counsel’s Affidavit Was Not Inherently Inconsistent With Colloquy Statements Regarding Immigration Advice, March 1, 2026
- Washington Supreme Court Clarifies Double Jeopardy Analysis for Multiple Assault Convictions, Holding That Assaultive Acts Occurring Over Short Time Period in Same Location Without Intervening Events Constitute Single Course of Conduct, March 1, 2026
- New Jersey Supreme Court Reverses Drug Convictions Under Cumulative Error Doctrine, Holding Combined Effect of Improper References to Television Series, Gun Violence, and Search Warrants Deprived Defendant of Fair Trial, March 1, 2026
- New York Court of Appeals Announces Coercive Police Tactics Compelling Suspect to Exit Home Constitute “Constructive Entry” Violating Payton, Holds Attenuation Analysis Applies to Third-Party Consent, March 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- Guaranteed Income Helps People Leaving Jail and Prison, and That Helps Everyone, May 1, 2026. Crime/Demographics, Prisoner Privileges, housing, jobs, Restrictions, discrimination, Probation, Parole & Supervised Release, Fines.
- Louisiana Detainee Captured After Two Previous Escapes, Dec. 1, 2025. Criminal Prosecution, Escapes, Jail Specific, Assaults on Staff, Prior Conviction/Sentence/Incarceration.
- Examining Pro-Prosecution Bias in the Judiciary: Unconscious Biases of a Prosecutorial Background, Feb. 15, 2025. Criminal Prosecution, Juror Bias, Impartial Jury.
- Executions Rise in 2023, Number on Death Row Falls, June 1, 2024. Criminal Prosecution, Statistics/Trends, Death Penalty, Death Row.
- U.N. Panel Finds Rampant Racism in U.S. Criminal Justice System, June 1, 2024. Racial Discrimination, Commentary/Reviews, Crime/Demographics, Criminal Prosecution, Statistics/Trends.
- The Graying of American Prisons, May 1, 2024. Geriatric Classification, Crime/Demographics, Statistics/Trends, Census, Cost of Prison Systems.
- Over 5,000 Prisoners Federally Sentenced Every Month, May 1, 2024. Criminal Prosecution, Statistics/Trends, U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Bureau of Prisons (BOP).
- Regarding Death Penalty, Biden’s Actions Don’t Align with His Mouth, May 1, 2024. Commentary/Reviews, Criminal Prosecution, Statistics/Trends, Death Penalty.
- Sentencing Project Proposes Remedies for Racial Disparities Behind Bars, May 1, 2024. Racial Discrimination, Criminal justice system reform, Criminal Prosecution.
- 428 Georgia Prison Employees Criminally Charged in Five Years, April 1, 2024. Guard Misconduct, Criminal Prosecution, Statistics/Trends.

